The Queen and the Frog
by writer writing
Summary: Arthur gets turned into a frog. How is Merlin going to keep Camelot from finding out what has happened to their king while he figures out how to turn him back into his true form? A parody of the Princess and the Frog/The Frog Prince.
1. Chapter 1

"Tell me again what we're doing out in the middle of nowhere again getting eaten alive?" Merlin asked as he slapped a hungry mosquito.

"There's supposed to be a witch in this part of woods," Arthur explained. He was walking cautiously through a marshy area with his sword drawn and his eyes carefully darting about the place.

"I see and what do we plan on doing with this so-called witch when we find her?"

"I don't intend on running her through with my sword if that's what you're afraid of. I just intend to emphasize to everyone that there is still a ban on magic and that means clearing up any rumors of magical practice. What kind of king would I be if I ignored someone blatantly practicing magic in my kingdom?"

"And if we don't find her?"

"Then we go home," Arthur answered in an irritated tone.

Merlin looked around at the bug infested, overgrown spot complete with a murky pond. "This is the sort of spot you would expect to find one. I don't imagine too many people traverse through here. Just so I'm prepared what exactly are her crimes?"

"Magic for one, but according to reports, she's fond of turning people that she considers to be trespassers into animals."

"Oh, so not only are we looking for a witch, we're looking for someone who's going to turn us into some sort of creature the minute she sees us. Am I the only one that sees the problem with this idea of yours? If we don't find her, all we have to show for it is muddy clothes and mosquito bites. If we do find her, we spend the rest of our days trapped in an animal form."

"I'm starting to get tired of your cowardly blathering. Why don't you do back and check on our horses and I'll be along in a minute."

Merlin was hesitant. "Are you sure about that? What if you do find her?"

"She wouldn't dare harm the king. I will explain to her that there will be no trouble if she comes along for some simple questioning."

Merlin didn't exactly agree with that reasoning, especially when it seemed this lady had a history of acting first and asking later, but after taking one last look around the marshy area and discovering there was nothing out of the ordinary, he agreed. He was hoping that it would hurry Arthur along if he knew that he was waiting for him and the sun would be setting pretty soon. Merlin didn't want to be out here after dark with a woman of that sort of reputation running around.

30 minutes passed and Merlin was impatiently tapping his foot. Arthur should have been back by now. His impatience turned into worry and he went back to check on him.

"Arthur, Arthur!" Merlin called. There was no answer unless you counted a pond full of croaking frogs as an answer, but as he took a closer look at the frogs, he saw that one of them was Arthur.

"Great, how am I supposed to tell the people that their king is a frog? Better yet, how am I supposed to tell Gwen that her husband is a frog?" With a sigh of frustration at how Arthur never listened, he went splashing into the shallow pound to retrieve Arthur.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin got up to the lily pad Arthur was resting on and about had his hands on him when Arthur jumped into the water with a plop. Arthur didn't just look like a frog; he thought he was a frog. He wasn't going to come to Merlin willingly. The witch that had done this was powerful, at least in the casting of shape-shifting spells and why not, she apparently had had plenty of practice over the years.

Merlin could see Arthur clearly even as he hopped and swam among the other frogs in the same way that he had seen Gwen when she was a deer, but that didn't make it easy to catch him. He was fast and slippery. Merlin and Arthur played a game of chase around the pond for awhile.

"You're an even bigger pain as a frog than you are as a king!" exclaimed the now soaking wet and still empty-handed Merlin.

Merlin thought back to his childhood when frog-catching had been a popular sport among the boys of his village. He did the same thing now as he did then to win the frog-catching competition; he used magic. "Inbringe, cume mec."

Arthur floated through the air, legs kicking. It would have almost been a comical sight if not for the seriousness of the situation.

With a squirming Arthur in his hands, Merlin looked around for the witch, who seemed long gone. "I don't know who did this," he called, "but you had better turn him back before all the knights of Camelot descend on your precious swamp!"

If the witch was in hearing distance, his threat didn't have much of an effect. The thing to do was to take Arthur back to Camelot before a bird or snake decided Arthur would make a tasty meal and then figure out how to undo this enchantment.

He was going to have two horses to take back to Camelot. He didn't exactly see Arthur riding one as a frog as amusing as it might look. "I'm not going to enjoy this anymore than you are," he told Arthur, who had calmed down some. Merlin opened his pocket wide and dropped Arthur into it. The frog king was back to his mad struggle now that he was in Merlin's pocket, but it seemed to be a good, snug fit.

Merlin tied a rope around the neck of Arthur's horse. Then he carefully mounted his own horse being extra cautious not to crush Arthur in the process. He took his reins in one hand and in the other hand he held the rope. With a soft jerk of the reins, he began a slow trek back to Camelot.

Merlin checked every couple minutes to make sure Arthur hadn't suffocated or dried out in his pocket. He hadn't gotten very far before Arthur jumped put of his pocket and onto the ground. The frog king began a mad dash back toward the pond, the place his little frog brain thought was home.

"Maybe Gwen could just build a house beside the pond and you could rule the kingdom from your pond," Merlin grumbled as he jumped down from his horse and went running after the king.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin caught Arthur using the same means he had before, but this time Merlin ensured that Arthur wasn't going to hop out of his pocket. He sealed his pocket with magic, leaving only a small part free for breathing purposes. "There. You're not going to escape so easily now, Arthur." He felt silly talking to a frog, but he felt silly not talking to him when he knew it was Arthur.

Merlin began the journey again and thought about what he was going to tell them in Camelot. If it got out that the king was in such a vulnerable state, there was no telling what villains it might bring out that were interested in doing away with the king, Morgana the chief among them. Not to mention, a kingdom that was currently being ruled by a frog invited anarchy and Camelot was still recovering from its last brush with anarchy. Then there was the fact that they might wonder how Arthur was transformed into an animal and he wasn't. The answers they could come up with might not be good.

As Camelot began to loom in the distance, Merlin thought about what he was going to do with Arthur's horse. He couldn't take Arthur's horse back to the stables and not have a king to show for it and he couldn't let Arthur's horse go free or Arthur would never let him hear the end of it. He made a slight detour to a small farm that looked down on its luck.

An old man who looked like he hit the tavern more than occasionally came out of the small cottage. "Can I help you?" He eyed the horses suspiciously, recognizing quality when he saw it.

"I need you to take care of a horse for me until I can come back to get it."

"What would I get in return for helping you?" he asked, clearly a shrewd man despite his unkempt appearance.

Merlin reached into the inside of jacket where he had some coins sewn in for safe-keeping and pulled them out. "This is a small down payment. There will be more when the horse is picked up, in the meantime you have the horse as insurance."

The man hungrily fingered the coins. Then he paused. "I won't get in trouble for this, will I? I don't relish the idea of living out the rest of my days in a dank dungeon."

"No, the king will thank you for this, I swear it. The horse should be kept hidden, so no one tries to steal it, but you are not involved in a crime."

The man didn't need much convincing with coins in his hands. "I believe you. You have an honest face, boy."

Merlin spoke to the amphibian in his pocket in a whisper. "I hope you were taking note. I have some money coming my way when you're you again."

The old man looked up a bit worried, having heard Merlin whispering, "I hope you haven't lost your marbles, boy."

"No, no. I'm just talking to myself, a bad habit really but normal."

With a look of relief on his face, the man began leading the horse to the watering trough.

When Merlin reached Camelot, it was pitch black. The only people that were awake were probably the guards. Something Merlin was very glad about. He hurried to Gaius after dropping his horse off, mostly undetected.

"Merlin," Gwen called.

Merlin shut his eyes tight and berated himself for not thinking of Gwen sooner. Of course, she wouldn't have gone to bed when Arthur was expected back. He turned around to face Gwen.

"Where's Arthur?" she asked, looking down the corridor for signs of Arthur.

Merlin had to think up a lie on the spot. Something he had become uncommonly good at since coming to Camelot. "He stayed back to look for the sorcerer. He thinks he's on the trail and you know how hard-headed Arthur is. Once he's got a quest or idea in his head, he has to see it through come hell or high water. He wanted me to come back and tell you, so you wouldn't worry."

Gwen nodded and seemed to except the explanation without a problem.

"He said for you to make any important decisions in his absence and he'll be back just as soon as he can," Merlin continued.

"Oh, okay," Gwen replied.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can I just ask you one question?" Gwen queried.

Merlin's heartbeat sped up. "What's that?"

"Why do you have a frog in your pocket?"


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin looked down. His pocket was moving and the outline of the frog was clear. There was no use denying there was a frog in his pocket. He finally released Arthur from his prison but kept a firm hold on him. "Gaius wanted me to pick up a frog."

Gwen's eyebrows were furrowed, trying to make sense of his answer.

"You see he uses the urine of a frog to make—"

Gwen held up a hand, "Stop right there, I don't want to hear anymore. I'll never want to take another cure from Gaius again if I hear the rest of that sentence."

Grossing Gwen out would keep her from thinking too much of the frog or so Merlin hoped. He hurried on before Gwen had time to find fault in his answer.

"You're back." Gaius was still up and mildly surprised at seeing a frog in Merlin's hands. "Do you have time to take care of a pet?"

"It's not a pet. It's our fearless leader, who wasn't afraid of a witch when he should have been. I wasn't with Arthur when it happened and I have no idea how to undo it. I haven't even seen the woman that did it."

Gaius' mouth dropped and he squinted his eyes trying to see some resemblance of the king in the frog.

"Do you have something I can lock him up in?" Merlin asked.

Gaius still looked a little shocked by the news. "Is it wise to lock up the king?"

"He thinks he's a frog. It's for his own good, but I really hope he won't remember any of this."

"In that case, I do have a small cage somewhere in the back. I'll see if I can discover how to reverse the spell while you look for it."

Gaius began looking through his books and Merlin began taking care of Arthur the frog. Merlin found the cage and put a bowl of water in with Arthur. Thinking he might be hungry, Merlin began hunting around the room for flies. "You know you would think he'd be easier to take care of as a frog, but he's not. I still have the same duties I always did fixing his bedding, fetching his food. At least, there's no polishing of armor and I must say the silence is refreshing, but I do kind of miss the old Arthur."

"You'll be missing your head if we don't turn him back."

"Thanks for the reminder," Merlin said dryly. "Have you found anything?"

"As a matter of fact I have."

Merlin was astounded. What information didn't Gaius have in his books?

"It says here that the only way to break the frog spell for a prince or king is for a princess or queen to kiss the frog."

"Are you sure?" Merlin couldn't help but question the logic of such an absurd rule.

Gaius held up the book. "It could be a complete fairy tale. You never know about these things. They don't happen often enough to record any accurate data."

"Well, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll just tell Gwen what happened and she'll kiss him. Problem solved."

Gaius shook his head, "No, it seems there's another rule that stipulates that the princess or queen can't know she's kissing a prince or king and breaking a spell. You'll have to find some other way to accomplish it."

"This is going to be tricky," Merlin said, bending down to look at the bug-eyed king. "He's not much to look at and Gwen doesn't strike me as the type of girl that goes around kissing reptiles and amphibians."


	5. Chapter 5

Gaius was called away to visit a patient, leaving Merlin to think and come up with a plan.

Merlin's idea on how to get Gwen to kiss Arthur stemmed from the fact that people sometimes kiss a person or animal when they're feeling especially grateful. So the question was what could a frog do that a person couldn't? A person couldn't dive into a well to retrieve a lost object. So then he thought about what would Gwen be devastated to lose? She'd be distraught about losing her wedding ring. The trouble then became how was he going to get Arthur to cooperate with the plan?

Looking through his spell book, he found one that allowed the sorcerer to control the mind of a small animal. He didn't know if it would work for frog people, but he had to give a try. He said the words that went along with the spell and then found all he had to do was think about what he wanted him to do. Arthur used his webbed feet to push open the lock, hopped across the floor, jumped on top of the table, and stopped when he was directly in front of Merlin, all at the command of Merlin's thoughts. "Perfect," Merlin said, as he picked Arthur up.

There was one last problem. Even controlling a frog wouldn't allow him to make the frog talk. He would have to throw his voice onto Arthur's frog form to make it sound like he could talk. That, however, was a much simpler spell. Even regular people could do that with practice.

Gwen took early morning strolls almost on a daily basis just before daybreak when there weren't a lot of people around. It was the perfect time to execute his plan.

Merlin dropped Arthur in the well with a mind command to stay put and then he hid in the bushes and waited.

Gwen came down the street, looking lost in thought. Merlin used his magic to cause her ring to come off and roll into the well. Gwen didn't notice it at first, but she heard the tiny splash. She went running to the side of the well, but she couldn't see it.

Using his deepest, croakiest sounding voice, Merlin said, "I can retrieve your ring, my queen."

She turned her head in both directions, looking for a person who went with the voice. "Who said that?"

"I did. I'm down in the well."

Gwen was a shade paler, unable to deny that it was where the voice was coming from. She slowly peered into the well afraid of what could be in there. "I don't see you. Are you some sort of water spirit?"

"Can't you see me? I'm the green frog. I can see you." All the while Merlin said that he was moving Arthur's frog lips to make it look as if the frog were speaking.

"This isn't happening." Gwen was clearly still spooked and why shouldn't she be? She thought there was a frog talking to her. "Wh-what did you say before?"

"I will retrieve your ring in exchange for a kiss. It's that simple."

"Unbelievable. I meet a talking frog and he's no different than the average male human. You get my ring and you're invited to the palace. I'll even let you eat at the table with us."

Merlin supposed that would have to be good enough for now, but he wasn't ready to give up his bargaining. "Will I be allowed to go wherever you go for at least a full day?"

Gwen didn't look thrilled with this arrangement. She looked at the deep, dark well where her lost ring was probably resting on the bottom, "Okay, Sir Frog. Get my ring and it's a deal."

Merlin had Arthur dive for the ring. This is where it got difficult. Frog feet were not made to grasp. He had him put the ring in his mouth instead. Arthur came to the surface with the metal object in less than a minute.

Gwen looked nervous when she didn't see the ring, but Merlin had Arthur open his mouth, displaying the wet, gleaming ring.

Gwen pulled it off his sticky tongue with a look of disgust on her face. "Thanks, I think." She held out her hand. "A deal's a deal. I will return you to the well tomorrow morning. You can ride in my pocket."

Merlin was happy that it had gone well, but he could see it was going to take a lot to make Gwen willing to kiss Arthur as a frog. He forgot to keep controlling Arthur and Arthur hopped out of Gwen's pocket.

"I thought you were coming?" Gwen asked in an irritated tone with hands on her hips.

"Yes. yes, of course. It's a bad habit I've picked up recently. You'll have to forgive me. I've a brain the size of a pea even in the best of circumstances."

Gwen put him in her pocket again, and they headed off to the castle.


	6. Chapter 6

Merlin knocked on Gwen's door.

"Merlin, do you need something?" she asked and then she seemed to remember the clearly visible frog sitting on the table behind her and became defensive. "I know this looks a little strange, my having a frog, but this one's a talking frog. I promise you."

"I believe you," Merlin said with a small smile.

Not believing that he believed her, she continued, "No, really. He even rescued my ring from the well."

Pitying her, he had Arthur say, "The beautiful queen is right. I do talk."

Seeming satisfied, she forgot to finish asking Merlin what he was doing there. "Well, I've got a speech to write, and I didn't say anything about entertaining you," she said, speaking to Arthur.

"You want me to write your speech for you?" Merlin offered, needing an excuse to stay around to work his magic.

"No, I believe the people should hear my own words, not the words somebody writes for me. Why, does Arthur not write his own speeches?"

"Most of the time he does. I just wrote it once when he didn't know much on the subject, but it's not his favorite activity. He believes in his actions doing the talking."

She smiled blushingly. "Don't I know it."

She sat down to write and looked up at him oddly when she saw he was still hanging around.

"I'm bored with Artur being gone. Maybe I can dust in here for you," he suggested.

Gwen didn't get a chance to respond because there was another knock at the door.

It was a messenger for Merlin. The council wanted a full report on Arthur's whereabouts.

Gwen saw his reservation. "I'll be fine. Despite his peculiarity, he's a just frog."

Arthur hadn't moved from the table since Merlin had come in. Perhaps he was becoming a tame frog or he sensed he belonged with Gwen. If he made a quick report, maybe everything would still be fine when he got back, and it was not like he had a choice as not making the report would arouse the council's suspicions and taking the frog with him would arouse Gwen's.

When he got back to the room, Gwen was alone still writing furiously.

"Where's the frog?" he asked.

"He hopped off the table and left the room," she said in an unconcerned tone.

"And you just let him go?" Merlin asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"He's a talking frog. I figured he could make up his own mind where he wanted to go," Gwen said with a shrug.

Merlin dashed out of the room. Arthur could be anywhere by now. He frantically searched the castle, looking into empty suits of armor and calling his name as softly as he dared.

The serving girl scrubbing the floors paused to look at him like he'd lost his mind.

He gave a sheepish grin. "Everyone likes a good game of hide and seek now and again."

Gwaine and Percival came down the hall at that moment with plates of food that they had just stolen from the kitchen. Horror crossed Merlin's face when he saw the frog legs on the plate.

"They're really not so bad," Percival assured him. "They taste like chicken wings."

"And they go great with mead," Gwaine said, taking a huge bite off of his frog leg.

Merlin took off in a heated run toward the kitchen, hoping he wasn't too late to save Arthur's legs.

"I guess we must have convinced him," Gwaine said with a shrug to Percival at Merlin's abrupt departure.


	7. Chapter 7

Merlin didn't even try to be unnoticed when he burst into the kitchen. He looked at the platter of frog legs, hoping none of them looked human. It appeared Arthur wasn't among them. Merlin sighed with relief but there was still a knot of tension because he didn't know where Arthur was. The cook shook her wooden spoon at him in a threatening manner, "I've already had enough food taken out of here today. If I lose anymore, I'm going to take it out on your hide. Unless you've been sent here directly by the king or queen themselves, you'd better get out of here."

"I'm not here to swipe your food. The queen wants you to know there'll be an extra guest for dinner and he'll require a special dish."

"Oh, yeah?" she asked as she wiped her hands on her apron. "What dish is that?"

"A dish of insects. I think he prefers them alive, but if they're dead, that'll be okay too just as long as they're fresh."

The cook's face turned a mottled red, "Is this some sort of joke?

"If that's too much trouble, I think he'll eat a small fish. It has to be easy to swallow whole though and don't bother to cook it."

"What kind of guest is going to eat this?"

"A frog," Merlin answered simply.

"A frog? A frog!" cried the enraged cook.

"Yes, which is why today's menu is probably in bad taste."

She shook her spoon at him. "Frog legs will be on the table. I don't care if the king of the frogs is dining with us."

"Well…" Merlin began and trailed off. He wasn't able to tell her how close to the truth she'd come.

One of the kitchen boys came running in, presenting his prize proudly to the cook. "I didn't even have to do down to the water to find another frog. I caught him in the castle!"

"That's a kingly specimen," the cook said as she eyed Arthur's legs. "This is a frog fit to be served to the queen."

"You have a good eye. A frog this fine needs to be taken to the queen right away," Merlin said, snatching the frog away and taking off in a hurry. "I have never been so glad to see your legs safely attached to your body," Merlin said as he ran with the king.

"Merlin!" he heard the cook bellow. "You wait until the king gets back! He'll hear about this!"

Merlin almost wished he would hear it. Maybe then he would get a little credit for saving his life for the 100th time.

sss

The cook had complained to Gwen, but when Gwen discovered who it was Merlin had saved she was very grateful.

Dinnertime arrived. Merlin arranged to trade places with one of the servers so he could be in there for Arthur's dinner performance.

The whole table was filled with onlookers, who couldn't believe the dinner guest who sat on the table by Gwen's right hand, but no one dared to say anything to the queen directly.

"That's what we get when we let a peasant onto the throne," whispered one of the ladies to another. If Merlin hadn't been so intent on keeping Arthur's table manners in control, the lady might have found her drink mysteriously spilled all over her lovely silk gown.

The cook had provided a small fish for Arthur, which he quickly snapped with no help from Merlin.

The head server tugged at Merlin's arm, "Go fill your pitcher up with more wine. You're almost out." Merlin had to obey or there'd be a scene, but he hated to leave Arthur. He hurried into the corridor and filled his pitcher up with wine using magic and then hurried back to the banquet hall.

Unfortunately, he should have been just a few seconds faster. Arthur had jumped into Lady Eleanor's soup with a resounding splash. Lady Eleanor looked like she was about to faint but that was nothing out of the ordinary for Lady Eleanor.

"I'm so sorry, milady," Merlin had Arthur say. "I got carried away. The soup reminded of the pond I swam around in as a tadpole."

Though her hand was still over her heart and her face still an unnatural shade of white, she responded with a faint, fluttery, "That's quite alright."

There were gasps up and down the table that the frog could speak and they seemed to feel a little better, knowing they were dining with a talking frog and not just your average run-of-the-mill frog.

Night was nearing and Gwen didn't even look close to being ready to pucker up to a frog. Merlin had a plan in mind. He just needed to get Gwen to let a frog sleep by her pillow for it to work.


	8. Chapter 8

"Where am I going to sleep?" Merlin had Arthur say.

Gwen looked at the frog a little funny. "I don't know. Where is it that frogs normally sleep? Do you want a bowl of water or something?"

"No, I want to sleep in your bed."

"You want to sleep in my bed?" Gwen said, enunciating each word to make sure she had heard right.

"Remember you promised I could go wherever you go for at least a full day. If you go to bed, I have to go with you."

Gwen's eyes narrowed as she looked at the frog. She looked ready to protest, but Merlin knew Gwen wouldn't break a promise. It's what he had counted on from the beginning. She scooped him up and headed off to bed. Merlin took a shortcut and hurried ahead. He distracted the guards in front of Gwen's bedchamber by magically knocking over a suit of armor in the next corridor. It gave him just enough time to sneak into her room undetected.

Merlin hid under the bed. If he got caught hiding under the queen's bed, he would be in some major trouble. Gwen might go easy on him, but the guards sure wouldn't.

Gwen came into the room less than a minute later. She set Arthur down on the far end of the left pillow. "There you can have the pillow right beside mine. Don't move an inch from this pillow or you'll find yourself back in the well quicker than you can say ribbit."

Merlin watched as Gwen's feet went behind the screen to change into her bedclothes. She came back out eying Arthur with the same disdain that had been a part of their early relationship. She slowly and carefully got onto her side of the bed.

Merlin slowly released his breath. Gwen hadn't caught him in here. He was safe for now. He listened as she twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable. He didn't know if Gwen normally had trouble getting to sleep or if she was more restless because there was a frog sleeping beside her.

He waited until he heard some gentle snoring. He didn't want her to get into heavy a sleep or it would never work, but he hoped it was deep enough that she wouldn't wake up. His new plan was ready to be set into motion. If he could give her a dream about kissing Arthur, she might kiss Arthur the frog by mistake. The fortunate thing about sending people dreams is that it was always more vivid and real than a regular dream, so it was perfectly possible that she would act it out.

"Arthur," Gwen moaned in her sleep. It seemed to be working. Merlin peeked out from under the bed. He had to position the frog king in exactly the right spot.

Her lips were already in the kiss position. She was inches away from Arthur's frog lips. She moved closer and closer until there was contact! Gwen, feeling the cool, wet lips of Arthur, immediately woke up and realized it wasn't exactly Arthur, at least not the Arthur she was used to seeing.

She picked him up and threw him onto the floor in disgust, shouting, "You, Sir Frog, are no gentleman!"

It appeared all this plotting had been wasted. Gwen's unknowing kiss hadn't been enough to change Arthur back. Merlin rolled out from under the bed to ensure Arthur hadn't been injured in the throw.

Gwen's mouth dropped open, "Merlin, what are you doing under my bed?" Her eyes flitted from Merlin to the frog as she rubbed her lips and a slow horror seeped into her expression. "This is your frog from earlier. You wanted me to sleep with the frog. I bet you had something to do with me kissing him too. What's going on here?" she demanded, sounding very queenly and very angry.

"It isn't as perverted as it sounds," Merlin began. The look of rage on Gwen's face convinced him that the only thing he could do at this point was tell the truth. What did it matter anyway? It seemed Gaius had been right in supposing that a kiss turning a frog back into a king was the work of fiction. "You were right before. This frog isn't a gentleman. He's your husband."


	9. Chapter 9

"How did this happen?" Gwen said horror in her voice and on her face as she picked Arthur up off the floor with more care than she had beforehand.

Merlin was surprised that Gwen had accepted the fact so easily, but then maybe she had had some suspicions about the frog and Merlin coming back without Arthur all along and this was the missing piece that made everything clear.

"Arthur, speak to me. Can you ever forgive me?" she begged.

"Well, actually," Merlin said rather sheepishly, "He doesn't talk. I sort of orchestrated everything to make it look like he did. You see I read somewhere that if you kissed him without knowing you were breaking a spell, it might change him back. I figured you weren't likely to kiss a normal frog, so I tried to put you in situations where you would. You finally did and a lot of good it did as you can see."

She nodded slowly, "That's why he acted more frog-like when you weren't around. I suppose you were at the well too. You do a great job of throwing your voice, but you are a terrible ventriloquist. I never saw you looking at him when he spoke, but how did you get him to do all those things like getting my ring?"

"I trained him," Merlin answered quickly. "I have a knack with animals and well I suppose since he was a special frog, he was easier to train."

"Yes, I suppose so. Well, what are we going to do, Merlin? We can't leave him like this," she said, as she stroked Arthur's back with her pointer finger. For once Arthur seemed content to stay without the need of a spell.

"There's only one thing left to do. I have to go back to that swamp and track the witch down. I'll leave at first light and I promise you I won't return until Arthur's in his proper form."

Merlin took Arthur from her. "I had better lock him up, so he doesn't go missing again and you should try and get some sleep."

"I don't think I will at a time like this, but I'll give it a try."

ssss

Merlin checked that Arthur's cage was secure one last time and that Arthur wouldn't be jostled during the riding too much. He was tied tightly to the back of Merlin's saddle. He'd received a number of looks from the guards and various people in the castle who saw him with the frog and cage, but no one had ventured to ask him why. They must have thought he was on an errand for Gaius.

He was just about to mount and ride through the gate when Gwen came riding out on her horse dressed for travel.

"Where are you going?" Merlin said as if he really had to ask.

"I'm coming with you, of course," she said, calmly adjusting her grip on the reins.

"You can't come, Gwen," Merlin insisted in a whisper. "This kingdom needs you in Arthur's absence and don't you think everyone will become suspicious with you gone too?"

"I've thought of that already. I've left the knights to make any necessary stately decisions and I've told them that I had to see a dying aunt. They insisted on sending some protection with me, but I told them it wasn't far and that you were going to be my escort."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "And they were okay with that?"

"Don't discredit yourself. You've proved yourself capable as Arthur's companion."

"I don't know. It could still be dangerous. We're up against a witch after all not just a couple of brutes. I think you ought to stay here."

She shook her head firmly. "As your queen, I am not asking your permission. I am telling you. Now if you don't mind I would like to ride with my husband."

Merlin didn't like this one bit. What could he do though? She was the queen and he was a servant after all. Maybe it would be good to have someone to look after Arthur why he confronted the witch anyway. He could just sneak off and leave Gwen frog-sitting. He passed the frog king to Gwen's care.

Merlin shook his head half in exasperation and half in amusement as he mounted his own horse. It was no wonder Arthur and Gwen made such a great couple. They were two of the most stubborn, pigheaded people he had ever met.


	10. Chapter 10

Merlin and Gwen rode in silence, but that was probably to be expected considering the worrisome questions in both their minds. Would they even be able to find this witch? How would they get Arthur turned back into his normal self? What would they do if Arthur was doomed to live out the rest of his life as a frog?

It seemed to take forever to get there and yet it seemed they came to it too soon. Merlin dismounted first, "Wait here with Arthur and the horses and I'll be back as soon as I can, Gwen."

Gwen stared at him incredulously, "And what exactly are you planning on doing, Merlin? Going up to the witch and demanding she change Arthur back or else."

"Well, I was planning on putting it a little more nicely, but yes."

"That's ridiculous."

"Do you have any better suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Gwen pulled out one of Arthur's swords. "I thought it couldn't hurt to bring a weapon along just in case she needs a little more persuasion than what words can provide."

"Weapons aren't what we need right now. Did Arthur's sword keep him from turning into a frog? Unless you have the element of surprise, you can't use normal weaponry against magic like this. All you'll do is prove yourself to be a threat and ensure that you wind up turning into some sort of swamp animal."

Gwen knew he was right about that. If brawn was all that was called for, she would have had every last one of Arthur's knights down on this swamp. This was a delicate situation that required delicate handling. She reluctantly put the sword away.

"Look, just give me some time to find and reason with her and if that doesn't work, you can do this your way, but you'd be surprised how persuasive I can be."

"I trust you, Merlin. We'll try it your way."

Merlin gave her a nod of thanks and took a deep breath as he prepared to go deeper into the swamp.

"Merlin," Gwen called before he'd even taken a step. "Arthur trusts you too you know."

"I know and I promise you that the trust is not misplaced. We will help Arthur."

Merlin began his trek into the swamp. He didn't like how eerily quiet this place was. A normal swamp should have some sounds of animal life and a swamp where a witch turned people into animals for a hobby should be a circus. Something sinister was in the air and he didn't like it.

An hour had gone by and there was still no sign of her. He didn't know why he was having such a hard time finding her. He thought it even stranger that she wasn't trying to find him considering her strong dislike of swamp intruders.

Merlin heard a piercing scream break the silence of the swamp. It sounded like Gwen. He immediately turned toward the scream and ran as fast as he could go.

When he arrived on the scene, there was no witch to be found, but now there were two frogs that Merlin easily recognized as the king and queen of Camelot. He raced over to pick them up. It was a stroke of luck that they hadn't been trampled by the horses as close as they were to the horses.

The problem had just doubled. The fate of Camelot now rested in the hands of two amphibians. Anarchy would be inevitable if anyone found out. "And this is what happens when two pigheaded people sit on the throne," he mumbled to himself as he placed them in his saddlebag. "If it wasn't for me, there would be no kingdom. 'She wouldn't dare harm the king.' 'As your queen, I am not asking your permission.'" he said, mimicking their previous conversations. "Camelot can get on without magic my foot."


	11. Chapter 11

It suddenly came to him why he hadn't found the woman yet. If she was such a talented shape shifter, chances were she could perform the same feats of magic on herself. The only problem was wizards and witches couldn't see through each others guises in the same way that he could see through Arthur and Gwen's guise.

He looked around at the wildlife. He had to look for a creature that was behaving out of the ordinary. His eyes fell on a brown rabbit with streaks of gray in the bushes. It seemed to be watching him. When he made a move towards the rabbit, it spun around and tried to hop away. Merlin pounced and with a little magical aid was able to grab it by the ears.

The rabbit shrank away into a fly. It escaped his hand, but he never lost sight of it. It joined a group of flies that were swarming around a dead carcass.

He reached out and grabbed the fly in his fist before it became too lost in the crowd. "I have you now. You might as well return to your normal state, so you and I can have a little chat."

Nothing happened. She was clearly not convinced that he knew he had right fly. To be perfectly honest, Merlin wasn't quite positive himself, but he knew a way he could find out for sure. He walked over to the saddlebag, the fly still firmly in hand. "I happen to have two very hungry friends in my bag, who I know would be happy to see you."

The fly in his hand transformed into a middle-aged woman. The wings in his hands became her cloak that he never let go of. "That was not a very kind thing to do," the woman complained.

"Turning my friends into frogs was not a very kind thing to do either."

"How do you think I survived the Great Purge, boy? It wasn't by being kind to witch hunters."

Merlin felt pity for the woman. Was she really a coldhearted witch or was she simply a frightened old woman? "There are other ways to deal with people than with that sort of magic."

"If you had lost your sons to the purge, you would know them for the animals they are!" Her expression softened as she looked at Merlin, "I can tell you have the gift. That's why I haven't done you any harm. You remind me of my youngest son in your innocence. He was about your age. He didn't think we should return violence for violence and it cost him his life. Their agonizing screams still haunt me. They're just lucky that turning them into animals is all I do."

"I know about the persecution. I've come close to being burned at the stake a time or two myself, but don't you see? If we fight back this way, harming every nonmagical person who crosses our path, we become the villains that they think we are. We become the characters in the stories they tell their children. I've seen it happen to a friend."

The woman's eyes shimmered and he knew he had gotten through to her, but then she hardened again, "Oh, so I suppose when I turn them back, this will all be water under the bridge, right? I did what I did in self-defense. Your king didn't come to the swamp armed to get a little fishing in. He was witch-hunting and I was his prey. And don't think I didn't see the sword that his young wife had."

"I promise you if you turn them back I will protect you. You can turn into whatever animal you choose and I will convince them to give up the search for you."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in these people you serve. I don't suppose they know about your secret, do they?"

"No, but neither one of them is like King Uther was. I believe a day is nearing when we won't have to hide in swamps or behind identities that aren't our own."

She gave him a long, searching gaze before giving a derisive snort. "For your sake, boy, I hope you're right. By all that is holy, I hope you're right. Bring them here."

Merlin let go and took Arthur and Gwen out of the saddlebag. He placed them on the ground in front of her. She undid the spell and flew away as a bird before Arthur and Gwen had time to look up.

Arthur and Gwen looked bewildered as they rose from their froglike positions to standing positions.


	12. Chapter 12

Arthur's tongue slipped in and out of his mouth for a few seconds before he got a hold of himself by shaking his head a bit. "What in the world happened?" He saw Gwen beside him. "Gwen, how did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Merlin explained. "We can save it for the ride home, but the condensed version is you didn't listen and got yourself turned into a frog."

"Where is she?" Arthur asked, drawing his sword.

"I searched the area both times we were here," Merlin said, "I never even found a woman. Did you two see anybody when you turned into frogs?"

"No," Arthur said slowly.

Gwen shook her head. "I didn't see anyone either. I just remember falling from the horse as I made the switch."

"I think this area is enchanted. If you hit a certain barrier, you turn into an animal. If you hit the barrier again, you're back to your normal self. It must be some kind of security measure. For all we know, the witch is long gone and it's just lingering magic."

Arthur sighed and put away his sword, somewhat disappointed that there would be no fight today. "I'm sure you're right, Merlin. One of us would have seen something by now. I guess we'd better ride back to Camelot." He looked at the horses. "Where's my horse?"

"I saw that he was taken care of by one of the farmers outside of Camelot. I didn't want to raise any panic when your horse returned and you didn't, at least your human self didn't."

"I'll share Gwen's horse then," he said, mounting and pulling Gwen up behind him.

"Why thank you, Merlin, for preventing an uprising, taking care of an unruly frog, not to mention a horse, and finding a way to turn two royal personages back into people. Why you're welcome, Merlin. I'm glad someone around here has good manners."

"Merlin, I think what you need is a vacation. It's never a good sign when you start referring to yourself in the third person. Take a week off."

Merlin pursed his lips together as he thought it over. That was as good as a thank you, coming from Arthur and he could definitely use some time off.

"Thank you, Merlin," Gwen said with a smile as they passed him.

Merlin smiled back and mounted his own horse.

"Sorcerers can't be all bad," Merlin commented as he caught up.

Arthur turned a critical eye on Merlin and for a moment he wondered if he had gone too far. "What do you mean?"

"The spell could have been set to kill someone. You could have stayed trapped as animals for the rest of your lives."

"That's true," Gwen remarked.

Arthur didn't comment one way or the other, but Merlin hoped that was another step toward Arthur treating magical persons favorably.

sss

That very evening, Arthur wanted to make a new law. The court assembled in the throne room to hear the new decree.

Arthur stood up to speak. Merlin closed his eyes, trying to brace himself for the news. He was sure it had something to do with the crime recently done against Arthur. "I am outlawing the consumption of frogs."

Merlin exhaled the breath he had been holding. He had been afraid it had something to do with magic and that it wouldn't be a gracious law. The time spent as a frog had not caused Arthur to embrace magic with open arms, but it was a day of rejoicing for frogs throughout the kingdom. It was a practical law too if Arthur should ever happen to find himself in the same situation, which considering it wasn't the first time Arthur had gained animal-like qualities was perfectly possible.

Arthur reached out and caught a fly in his fist with a vengeance. When he opened his palm, he revealed a squashed fly. He gazed at it almost hungrily. He became aware of the deafening silence as he looked around and dropped the fly to the floor. "We must be vigilant to remove all pests from our kingdom."

There was a cheer throughout the court. After all, who didn't hate flies, especially in the middle of summer? There was also relief to know their king wasn't as barmy as they had almost thought.

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle. Arthur had spent a long enough time as a frog that the habits wouldn't be dropped as easily as his frog form. Merlin had a feeling that the next couple of days were bound to be entertaining.

"Would you would like me to draw you a bath before I start my vacation?" Merlin asked in the humble tones of a servant as he followed Arthur down the corridor. "Maybe I could add some lily pads. I could also find a few pests for you to vanquish if you want."

Arthur whipped around. "The only pest that I will be vanquishing is you if you ever speak of this incident again. You'll find your vacation will be spent mucking the stables quicker than you can utter a smart comeback."

Merlin knew it was no idle threat and hurried to start his well deserved vacation.

The End


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